The Biggest Bright Spot From Saints-Cardinals Week 1

The New Orleans Saints didn’t come out on top on Sunday, but that doesn’t mean that there weren’t any positive takeaways for the franchise.

New Orleans ended up losing against the Arizona Cardinals, 20-13 at home. It was Kellen Moore's first game as the team's head coach and Spencer Rattler's first game as the team's starting quarterback after winning the job in camp. Rattler got a few starts last year with Derek Carr injured. But, this was his first game with the team building the position around him.

The New Orleans Saints had one clear bright spot vs. the Cardinals

Sep 7, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) has his helmet stripped off by New Orleans Saints defensive end Jonah Williams (54) during the first half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

In looking back the Saints' loss against Arizona, there surely are some things to improve. But, also a few positive things to bring to next week and beyond. The biggest bright spot for the Saints in their clash against the Cardinals arguably was the team's pass rush.

New Orleans contained Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray. The Saints limited him to 163 passing yards and 38 rushing yards. On top of this, the Saints sacked him five times, including 1 1/2 sacks to both Carl Granderson and Cam Jordan. Pete Werner and Alontae Taylor also chipped in sacks of their own. The Saints were getting into the backfield and had a total of seven tackles for loss on the game. And what makes that even more impressive is the fact that the team did this without Chase Young, who missed the game after injuring his calf throughout the week leading up to Week 1.

Murray is a hard guy to contain anyway because he can beat you with arm as well as his legs. The Saints' defense gave the offense the chance to win the game. Things didn't work out in New Orleans' favor overall, but the pass rush looked really good and should get even better with Young expected back in the very near future.

No matter what, the game still goes down as a loss in the standings. But, the defense surprised against the Cardinals. At least, it was a reason for optimism.

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